Classic & Vintage - 90s Falcon re build keep it 7 speed or bump it up.

Good morning everyone, I hope all is well.

I'm putting my beloved old road bike back together to use for group rides and quick workouts.

531 frame and fork , My question is leave it as a 7 speed (its 126mm) or bump it up to an 8 or 9.

I can certainly spread the frame and dish the wheel myself , BUT will I be gaining much with an extra cog or two?

Ill also be using Barcons vs brifters so I wont be shifting constantly

Im planning on using compact cranks (hilly here in NY) and a wide range cassette , Harris has 12-28 in 7 speed or similar in 8 or 9.

7 speed would be bulletproof for sure.

your thoughts please

many thanks

"John"

All of my road bikes are currently configured 2x6, with either half-step (e.g 45-42/13-15-17-20-23-26) or 1.5-step (e.g. 50-42/14-16-18-20-23-26) in front. I like a relatively tight 6-7% ratiometric progression, but since I do not carry anything below the mid 40s or above the mid 90s, I can get buy with 10 or 11 usable gears, making 2x6 barely adequate and 2x7 fully sufficient, as long as I avoid redundancy when selecting my cog and chainring sizes. If you can likewise get both the range and progression you need with 7 cogs, you really do not need to change to 8 or 9.

My vote's for 7-speed. :thumb:

I bumped my falcon up to a 9 speed when I built out some Open Pros on Chorus hubs. The Malliard's were well worn. No regrets. In fact, didn't have to stretch the frame as had expanded out to 130. Previously I had to compress the rear stays in with the palm of both hands when mounting a wheel. Now it just drops in.